1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated circuit packaging technology and more particularly to quad flat no lead (QFN) packages.
2. Background Art
Integrated circuit (IC) chips or dies from semiconductor wafers are typically interfaced with other circuits using a package that can be attached to a printed circuit board (PCB). One such type of IC die package is a quad flat package (QFP). A QFP is a four sided package that has leads extending from all four sides. The leads are used to interface the QFP with a circuit board when the QFP is attached to the circuit board during a surface mount process.
A type of integrated circuit package that is similar to the QFP is a quad flat no lead (QFN) package. Similarly to a QFP, a QFN package has four sides, but does not have leads that extend outward from the sides of the package. Instead, a bottom surface of the QFN package has contacts/lands that may be referred to as “pins.” The contact pins interface the QFN package with a circuit board when the QFN is attached to the circuit board during a surface mount process.
QFN packages are undergoing a rapid growth in their use in industry due to their advantages, such as small size, thin profile, low weight, and low cost. As products operate at increasingly higher speeds and require increasing amounts of power, a corresponding increase in the electrical capabilities of QFN packages will be required. Thus, what is needed are QFN packages having enhanced electrical capabilities.